Treating distillery-slop.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OURT JULIUS ROEHR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIUNOR TO HIMSELFAND WILLIAM F. PARRY, OF PIIlLADitLl-IHA, PENNSYL- VANIA.

TREATING DlSTlLLERY-SLOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

'i atented May 15, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OURT JULIUS ROEHR, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain Improvements in Treating Distillery-Slop, of which the followingis a specification.

The ob iect of my invention is to provide a practicab e method ofrecovering from brew+ ers or distillers slop the protein and fattymatters contained therein, which may be used as animal feed and in alltechnical processes where casein or other forms of protein have beenemployed.

Brewers or distillers slop consists of a thick liquid containing asvaluable ingredicuts the shells of the grain, fatty matters, and proteinin solution or emulsion.

Heretofore attempts have been made to separate the protein and fattymatter by filtering the slop in ordinary filter-presses; but suchmethods can only recover those small portions of the protein and fatwhich adhere to the shells, for the finely-distributed protein and fattymatters accumulating upon the filter-cloth will, owing to theirwaterrepellent properties, prevent the passage of water through thepores of the cloth, so that the filtering operation is arrested before asolid cake of the residue can be obtained. This is true whether the slopis filtered in its natural state or after neutralization with lime orother alkaline matter. To overcome this objection, I treat the slop riorto the filtering o eration with an alka ine solution of minera matterwhich is soluble in alkali, but insoluble in water, such alkalinesolution being added to the sour slop preferably while the same is hot.

Asa way of carrying out my invention, which has proved effective inpractice, I may state that I have added to two thousand pounds of slopheated to a temperature of about two hundred (200) degrees Fahrenheit asolution of ten ounds of silicate of soda in twelve and onealf gallonsof water. The efiect of this treatment is twofold, the chemical reactionbetween the lactic acid of the slop and the alkali freeing from thelatter the mineral matter and also freeing from the acid the proteinheld in solution or distribution therein both the protein and themineral matter being precipitated and the protein being deposited uponsaid mineral matter in difficulties hitherto found prohibitive when itwas attem ted to separate brewers slop into its 1i ui and solidconstituents. I am thus enab ed to obtain the nutrients, the fat,

protein, &c., separate from the industrial products--viz., glycerin,dextrose, glucose, &c.--and may utilize these two classes of substancesaccordingly.

Mineral matters insoluble in water but soluble in alkali are, forinstance, silicic acid, hydroxid of aluminium, copper, zinc, nickel,cobalt, silver, &c., very good results being obtained by using asolution of silicate 0 soda in water, which. effects a quickprecipitation of the protein and other matters contained in the slop,the process having the further advantage of being very cheap, be causeof the low cost of the silicate, experi ments having shown that one-halfpound of silicate of soda is sufficient to properly treat one hundredpounds of slop.

To still further reduce the cost of the process, partial neutralizationof the slop may be effected before the treatment of the same in themanner before described, a chea and simple method of effecting suchpartia neutralization being the use of any cheap metal orhydroxid oroxid of metal soluble in lactic acid butinsoluble inwater. For instance,the slop may be caused to iiow in the first instance over or throughiron scraps, whereby the action of the iron or iron oxid will eifect apartial neutralization of the slop.

The strength of the alkaline solution may vary, depending upon thecharacter: of the slop under treatment; but as an instance of a solutionwhich I have found to be effective for the purpose I may mention onecontaining ten pounds of silicate of soda dissolved in twelve andone-half gallons of water.

I do not in this application claim the process of recovering lycerin,dextrine, or the like and lactic flClClIIOIIl brewers or distillers slopas herein disclosed, since this forms the sub'ect-matter of my copendingapplication, Senal No. 249,935, filed March 13, 1905.

Having thus deserii' i eiaim and desire ali I ent- 1. The w dend-ascribed treating distillers slop, Ski subjecting the same whilemaintained in a heated condition to the action of an alkaline solutionof mineral matter to effect precipitation of the protein contents of theslop, which said mineral matter is not soluble in water, substantiallyas specified.

2. The mode hereIn described of treating distillers slolp, said modeconsisting in first subjecting t e same while maintained in a 15 heatedcondition to the action of mineral matter in alkaline solution to eilectprecipitation of the protein contents of the slop, which said mineralmatter is not soluble in water, and then filtering the latter, substan-2o tially as specified.

3 The mode herein described of treating distillers slop, said modeconsisting in sui jecting the same while maintained in e. ed conditionto the action eff a solu water of silicate of soda, substantial,specified.

4. The mode herein described of distillers slop, said mode consisting ineffecting partial neutralization of the same and then causingprecipitation of the pretein son- 39 tents of the slop by the actionthereupon i while maintained in a heated condition of mineral matter inalkaline solution, which I, said mineral matter is not soluble in water,substantially as specified. 3 5

In testimony whereof I have signed my name-to this specification in thepresence oi two subscribing witnesses.

CURT JULIUS ROEHR. Witnesses WM. E. SHUPE, WALTER CHrsM.

